Waiver Wire Wonders: Week 15
Well, hopefully week one of the fantasy playoffs treated you well. It was a rough week for some of our studs, particularly Jared Goff. You would’ve actually been better off starting yourself at quarterback this past week because at least you didn’t throw a pick, or two, or four. Anyways, with playoffs under way, it’s vital to have some meaningful bench stashes. It’s important to have players on your bench such as a solid backup QB, handcuffs for your stud RB’s, some depth receivers, a backup tight end and maybe even a stashed defense.
Additionally, I’ve always like to stream defenses unless I find a dominant one such as the Chicago Bears. So if you’re looking to stream one this week, here’s a few good options:
- Texans D/ST @ New York Jets
- Browns D/ST @ Denver
- Bills D/ST vs Detroit
- Lions D/ST @ Buffalo
- Titans D/ST @ New York Giants
Finally, as I said, this is the playoffs. Your bench spots will be much more important for handcuffs of your star players. These handcuffs need to be owned as they either have a decent amount of overall talent or they’ll be thrown into a great opportunity immediately due to resting players or potential injury to the starter ahead of them. At this point, hand cuffs that NEED to be picked up and owned over the next few weeks include (in order of inportance): Spencer Ware, Austin Ekeler, Jaylen Samuels, John Kelly (Malcolm Brown ruled out for season), Rod Smith, Gio Bernard, Chase Edmonds and Latavius Murray.
Anyways, as always, I will be listing my favorite waiver acquisitions of the week. If you haven’t been here before, there will be multiple sections to my article with the main parts including: Standard League Adds (my favorite adds of the week and players owned in approximately 50 percent or less) and Deep League Adds (players owned in less than 25 percent of leagues). Furthermore, there will be mini-sections that include guys you can cut ties with (The Droppables) and players that you shouldn’t drop just yet (Don’t Stop Believin’). So, without further ado, let’s get to it.
Standard League Adds
RB Justin Jackson — LAC (43.1 percent owned)
My top add for the second time in three weeks is a Chargers running back. There’s a shot Melvin Gordon plays this week, but I’m not expecting it. There’s also a chance that Austin Ekeler won’t play this week. The Chargers’ backfield could be all Jackson’s come Thursday night. Jackson had solid rushing games against the Cardinals and Steelers prior to last week. He totaled 120 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries. Jackson’s explosiveness as a runner could lead to a few big runs against a rough Kansas City defense that ranks 25th against the run.
QB Dak Prescott — DAL (53.8 percent owned)
It’s been a roller coaster season for Dak Attack! However, I’m back on Dak for the last couple of games after his monster performance against the Eagles. Even though Dallas is known as a run first team, Prescott threw for 455 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The acquisition of Amari Cooper has proved to be very important to the success of Dallas and of Prescott in general. With Indianapolis and Tampa Bay on the schedule for the next two weeks, I’m aboard the Dak hype train.
QB Josh Allen — BUF (16.9 percent owned)
I’ve been preaching for the past few weeks that Allen needs to be owned. While he may not be a very good NFL QB, he’s been a heck of a fantasy quarterback. While he’s only averaged about 200 yards per game through the air, he’s averaging over 110 per game on the ground over the last three games. Heck, he broke Michael Vick’s record of rushing yards in a three game span. While the Buffalo Bills offense isn’t anything special, Allen is close to the entire offense and can be considered a strong option for you going forward.
TE Ian Thomas — CAR (25.5 percent owned)
I discussed Thomas a bit last week, so I’m just going to make him quick and reiterate that he needs to be owned in far more leagues. Thomas caught nine passes for 77 yards in his first game since Greg Olsen’s season-ending foot injury. Newton is clearly looking at Thomas as his security blanked and checking to him frequently. He’s turning into a solid start at tight end for the remainder of the season.
WR Curtis Samuel — CAR (32.5 percent owned)
I’ve tried to ignore Samuel’s production as of late, but at this point he warrants some consideration. In his five of his past six games, Samuel either has 80 yards or a touchdown. He’s caught passes of 30-plus yards in back-to-back weeks and he was tied for second on the team in targets with eight this past week against the Cleveland Browns. With juicy matchups against the Saints and Falcons on deck, Samuel could have a great finish to his 2018 campaign.
Deep League Adds
RB Kenneth Dixon — BAL (2.7 percent owned)
Round and round we go, as the Ravens running back carousel continues. Just when we thought Gus Edwards was the answer, guess who came back? Dixon. Truthfully, Dixon has been a sleeper for the past year and a half or so, as he seemingly has a truck load of potential. Dixon rushed just eight times against the Chiefs, but scampered for 59 yards and a score. We’re slowly seeing less and less of Edwards and more of Dixon as he returns from injury. I think Dixon could take over lead back duties and is worth a pickup in almost every league.
RB Elijah McGuire — NYJ (11.3 percent owned)
The Jets backfield has been a mess almost the entire season, but on the latest injury report, all three of their running backs are listed on it. I believe McGuire will be fine for their game this weekend, while I’m not as sure about Isaiah Crowell. If Crowell can’t go, McGuire is a solid flex play for me. McGuire rushed 17 times for 60 yards and a score, while adding on three receptions for 23 yards against the Bills this past Sunday. If you’re getting desperate at running back, McGuire is worth a look.
WR Dante Pettis — SF (19.6 percent owned)
Another game, another time that Pettis finds the end zone. Pettis scored a touchdown for the fourth time on Sunday in the past three games for the 49ers. San Francisco announced today that Pierre Garçon is going on season-ending IR. George Kittle is certainly still the No. 1 option in this passing offense, but Pettis has vaulted himself up to the No. 2 option. Pettis has averaged about 20 fantasy points over the past three games, so you may as well ride him while he’s hot.
WR DaeSean Hamilton — DEN (5.6 percent owned)
Broncos’ receiver Emmanuel Sanders’ fantastic season came to an abrupt halt when he tore his Achilles in practice. The brutal injury left a big hole in Denver’s lineup. Courtland Sutton shifted to the No. 1 role, while Hamilton and Tim Patrick would take on bigger roles. Hamilton responded well, hauling in seven passes for 47 yards a touchdown. I see Sutton being more productive going forward, but Hamilton could turn out to be a strong PPR play in deep leagues in these last few weeks.
The Droppables
QB Mitch Trubisky: He’s been banged up and put up an absolute dud against the Rams. Green Bay is an enticing matchup, but there’s a lot of other guys I prefer before him.
RB Peyton Barber: This continues to be a pass-first team and Barber tends to be a little too touchdown dependent. He’s probably not cracking your lineup at this point.
RB Gus Edwards: He hasn’t found the end zone since Week 11 and has seen his yardage total decrease the past three weeks. The rise of Dixon has me scared away from the Gus Bus.
WR Tre’Quan Smith: He’s the ultimate boom-or-bust and he’s been way too much of a bust lately for me to want to hold onto him. He has a ton of potential for next season though.
WR Josh Reynolds: I had a lot of hope for him with Kupp out, but there may be too many mouths to feed for Reynolds to be super relevant.
Don’t Stop Believin’
QB Jared Goff: If you’re gonna let one bad game scare you away, another owner will gladly pick him up and start him against a poor Eagles’ secondary.
QB Kirk Cousins: He’s been brutal lately, but maybe a new offensive coordinator is just what the doctor ordered for this offense. A bad Dolphins pass defense is on deck.
RB James White: I see White getting more work going forward instead of Rex Burkhead, frankly, because I don’t think Burkhead is that good. White is still the main passing catching back and I think he’ll have a big week against Pittsburgh.
WR Kenny Golladay: He’s still the No. 1 receiver on the Lions and just faced Patrick Peterson. Better days ahead.
TE Vance McDonald: With the position being so thin, McDonald is a must-hold. I expect the Steelers to get him more involved in the coming weeks.
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